1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for dispensing uniform quantities of ham product. More particularly the invention relates to ham products which are made up of a plurality of pretumbled chunks of ham, the product being called a sectioned and formed ham.
2. Description of the Art
In the processing of various meat products it is desirable to provide for packaging the product while relatively free of oxygen. Where the product is packaged by volume, it is desirable to perform the volume measuring function when the product is fully deaerated, as it is then free of voids.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,537,129 discloses a continuous stuffing system for handling food products including large chunks of meat. Food product is vacuumized and then conveyed into a separate stuffing system by a cylindrical reciprocating transfer pump. The separate stuffing system can be a volumetric metering stuffer such as described in U.S Pat. No. 3,473,579.
A further vacuumizing apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,599,556. This type of apparatus has been in commercial use for some time in processing meat emulsions and is known as an "Anco" vacuumizer. Both the foregoing devices are relatively complex and it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that a simple device, capable of dispensing a sectioned and formed ham product from chunks of ham, is highly desirable.